LONDON: Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane, two of the world’s best strikers, were back in action in the Premier League on Sunday after some time away. Lukaku made the better impression.
Making the first appearance of his second spell at Chelsea, the Belgium international marked his return to England’s top division after a two-year absence by scoring one goal and playing a part in the other in a 2-0 win at Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane made his first appearance for Tottenham this season as Nuno Espirito Santo earned a 1-0 win against his former club Wolves, while Mason Greenwood salvaged a 1-1 draw for Manchester United at Southampton on Sunday.
Striker Kane came off the bench in the second half at Molineux after the Manchester City transfer target missed the first two games following his late return from his close-season holiday.
The England captain, frustrated by Spurs’ 13-year trophy drought, hopes to force a move to Premier League champions City before the August 31 transfer deadline.
Kane said he has “never refused to train” with the squad, but the 28-year-old believes he has a gentleman’s agreement with club chairman Daniel Levy allowing him to leave this summer.
However, City are so far unwilling to meet Levy’s £150 million ($204 million) asking price for last season’s Premier League top scorer.
Kane was left out of Tottenham’s squad when they beat City in their Premier League opener last weekend and also missed Thursday’s Europa Conference League defeat at Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira.
Tottenham were already leading through Dele Alli’s 10th minute penalty by the time Kane arrived on the scene.
Alli was fouled by Wolves keeper Jose Sa and the midfielder picked himself up to convert the spot kick.
It was Alli’s first league goal since March 2020 as he returns to favor following a long spell in exile under Nuno’s predecessor Jose Mourinho.
Kane replaced Son Heung-min with 19 minutes left and received a largely positive reception from the traveling Tottenham fans, who sang “Harry Kane, he’s one of our own” as Wolves supporters mockingly chanted “He’ll be a Manc in the morning.”
Kane had a golden opportunity to mark his return with a goal when Steven Bergwijn picked him out, but his shot was repelled by Jose Sa. Despite Kane’s miss and his late booking for time-wasting, it was a winning return to Wolves for Nuno, who was back for the first time since leaving in the close-season after four years in charge.
Although Nuno was far from Tottenham’s first choice, he has made a strong start with successive league victories.
